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The Catacombs area is the first level that you'll land in after Dracula drops you down that long shaft. The enemies that you'll encounter here won't be overly difficult, with the exception of a few (which are detailed below), and you'll also be able to gather several HP and MP Up items as well as the Dash Boots and Double items

==1. Poison Worms

These slithering poison pythons group together in a group at the top of the ceiling. Once in a while a couple worms will drop to the ground, and the best way to kill them is to twirl your whip by holding down the attack button after slashing once. To destroy the cluster, jump and slash. ==

==2. Earth Demon and Dash Boots

Before you can get to the Dash Boots, you have to defeat the Earth Demon (well, you don't have to kill it, but its worth it for the xp as well as making your lift a little easier). His attack is an earthquake that sends rocks sliding along the ground. You can jump over these, and slash him when he is in the air. If you have the flame whip DSS attack by now, you can use that to do a little bit of extra damage to him.==

==3 Can't Touch This Yet

Right above where you get the Heart Up item in this area, there is a shaft that you are unable to jump up. You need to return here once you get the Kick Boots so you are able to jump up the sides of the walls to reach the HP Up item. ==

==4 Boss: Cerbreus (Level 5 Minimum Needed)

The first boss in the game will be familiar to both fans of ancient myth as well as Castlevania fans. The dog has about three main attacks, and you can tell when he is going to attack by when it starts to change color. When it turns blue, it will either spawn two orbs that will fire off electricity at you or it will pounce across the screen, damaging you in the process.==

When the beast turns red, it is about to unleash its most devastating attack. It will jump up on one of the ledges and fire off a laser across the screen. To avoid it, position yourself either under or behind the platform. If you are behind it, you can take a few free shots against him.

Holy Water works well, especially when the dog is on the platform and firing off its laser, and your fire whip DSS attack can also whittle him down. Once it is defeated, you'll be able to access the Double item, which gives you the ability to do a double-jump.

==5 Tackle This

Here is another area that you will be unable to visit until later in the game. Once you have the Tackle item, you can return here and break the stone block to reach an MP Up item.==

==6 Push Block

As with #5, you can't get by this block until you have a new item. After you get the Heavy Ring, you can come back here and push the block to find a HP Up item.==

==7 Out of Reach For Now

While you are able to snag an MP Up item in this area you cannot yet reach the HP Up that is higher. To get it, you either need to use the Ice Whip attack to freeze the brains or return here with the Roc Wing to fly up to the top.==

==8 Secret Area Unreachable Right Now

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While you are able to reach the two secret areas in the Catacombs right now, there is one other that you can't get until later in the game. When you explore the castle more, you will eventually be able to jump back down that first pit you fell through at the beginning of the game. When you go down it again, you can slash the wall at this point to find a HP Up item.==

==9 Double Jump Needed

In order to reach the Heart Up item high in this area after the mudmen, you need to use the double jump to reach each ledge. ==

==Secret Area #1

On the map, next to point #5 you'll see a small room that holds an MP Up. To get there, slash the wall shown in the image.==

==Secret Area #2

In the room with the mummies, and after you have Double, you can reach a door that leads to the Abyss Stairway. Directly across from the door (as shown in the image) is a hidden area with a HP Up item.==